To my knowledge, they never did "solve" this issue of the hammer butt flange cords. It's such a long standing issue it naturally leads one to believe that, since it doesn't manifest itself until long after the piano is out of warranty, they made a conscious decision to ignore it.
We've all encountered very old pianos with intact spring cords, usually made of silk. There are many more durable alternatives in this day and age. When I replace these I use what's called .9 millimeter lift cord, which is made for miniblinds. It's nylon strands inside a nylon sheath. Quite strong and it's not subject to that "slow burn" oxidation that degrades the polyester. It has a diameter and appearance quite similar to the original cord.
Another tip that some might find useful is apply acetone to the original stuff before you go to scrap it out of the channels in the flange. This will turn it gummy and make it much easier to remove. The acetone flashes off quite fast so only do about a dozen flanges at a time. And use good ventilation.
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Cecil Snyder
Torrance CA
310-542-7108
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2019 14:02
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha spring cords
"Gospel damage" lol, I've seen that.
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Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2019 11:33
From: Susan Kline
Subject: Yamaha spring cords
I encountered the P22 and especially the P202 from the early days when Yamaha took over the Everett factory.
The P22's broke bass strings, but nothing like the P202's did. I observed the reason why: the waste length leading to the tuning pin was extremely short, especially for the lower row of tuning pins, and the wire approached the coil at a very steep angle, so it bound on the first bend of the coil. If the tuning pins had been angled back somewhat so the wire approached the pin at 90 degrees, there would have been no problem.
Add in a bunch of "gospel damage" and I had a lot of job security.
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Susan Kline
Philomath, Oregon
Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2019 07:41
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha spring cords
1988
I have no input for the bass string question other than it being a high tension scale.
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Regards,
Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@pianocapecod.com
http://www.pianocapecod.com
Original Message:
Sent: 08-18-2019 17:12
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha spring cords
List,
This may have been covered before, but I'm hoping for a quick answer. Approximately when did Yamaha actually SOLVE the spring cord breakage problem?
Question #2...there were some years when P-22's had a bass string breakage (premature) issue. I had to restring the bass on a 1993 P22 made in Thomaston. Does anyone know the extent of this issue? (I was informed by Schaff that there was a time period where Yamaha's scaling choices for this model was less than optimum. I just don't recall that they gave any specific span of years).
Would welcome any input on this from those who know more and better.
Pwg
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Peter Grey
Stratham NH
603-686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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